It took five hard rounds of battle, but Elisandra Ferreira can still call herself one of the few atomweight MMA champions in the world.
Brazil’s Ferreira retained her Invicta FC Atomweight (105 pounds) Championship on Friday evening, defeating Ana Palacios in the main event of a card from the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA.
While judges turned in a highly favorable result for Ferreira after five rounds—taking a unanimous decision with the scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 50-45—anyone who saw the fight can attest to how competitive the battle truly was.
Ferreira had to overcome a crafty prospect who presented her challenges both on the feet and on the mat, causing the champion to put in a tough 25-minute shift to remain the holder of Invicta FC gold.
Ferreira got ahead early with a successful opening round, leading the striking battle as the bout was still in the feeling out process. Palacios began landing with her own punches by the second round, connecting with clean right hands and pressuring the champ more.
In possibly the biggest moment of the fight, Ferreira dropped Palacios with a hard right cross early in the third round, bringing the bout down to the mat for the first time. She briefly spent some time in top control, but Palacios escaped and battled with Ferreira in a clinch position. The champ scored another takedown just before the round came to a close.
Ferreira had the better results through 15 minutes. However, Palacios was still showing lots of fight. In fact, her best moment had yet to come. The challenger seemingly came close to ending the fight in the fourth, pulling out an armbar which threatened to stop Ferreira. However, after a few scary moments, she escaped.
The final five minutes of the bout mainly saw Ferreira control Palacios on the mat, capitalizing on a slip from Palacios early on and later earning another takedown. She searched for a rear naked choke as the fight ran out of time.
The tough outing from Ferreira continues her impressive run in Invicta FC, having attained five wins since entering the promotion in early 2023. She captured the promotion’s vacant atomweight title last September when she defeated Andressa Romero in a unanimous decision.
Since the atomweight division is showcased in just a few promotions around the world – with RIZIN and Invicta FC being two of the more prominent spots for the class – Ferreira’s win on Friday keeps her as one of the division’s top fighters in the world. FightMatrix, an algorhythm MMA ranking system, has her placed second in the division, just below RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Seika Izawa.
Mexico’s Palacios was given a title shot following an impressive 2024, attaining three consecutive wins since just June of last year.
Invicta FC 61 was an explosive card on Friday night, as all six figths before the headliner ended via finish in the first or second rounds. Featherweight prospect Jamie Edenden scored a right hook knockout in the co-main event, stopping former PFL talent Jackie Cataline in the second round.
Ex-UFC and Bellator fighter Emily Ducote also picked up a finish win, putting away Thaiane Souza in two-and-a-half minutes with strikes.
Here are the results for Friday’s show in Oklahoma:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (CBS Sports Network)
Bout 7: Elisandra Ferreira def. Ana Palacios via Decision, Unanimous (Invicta FC Atomweight Championship)
Bout 6: Jamie Edenden def. Jackie Cataline via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:53)
Bout 5: Emily Ducote def. Thaiane Souza via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:29)
Bout 4: Jaeleen Robledo def. Riley Martinez via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:17)
Preliminary Card (6:30PM EDT / 3:30PM PDT) (Youtube)
Bout 3: Taynara Silva def. Claire Lopez via Submission, Arm & Triangle Choke (RD 1, 3:17)
Bout 2: Joy Pendell def. Marilia Morais via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 1, 2:28)
Bout 1: Zoe Nowicki def. Kellie Marin via Submission, Americana (RD 1, 1:42)
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